The Zodiacal constellations are among the most famous star groupings. They are probably the best
known constellations by the majority of people. Below you will find an overview of one of many
mythological stories surrounding each constellation. The path the Sun follows is called the ecliptic. The
ecliptic plane is the plane defined by the Earth's orbit around the Sun. All of the planets except Pluto
orbit very near the ecliptic plane, so you will usually find all of them in the zodiacal constellations. Ant
there's actually 13 of them! The Sun also passes through Ophiuchus. Constellations Link here.
" The Ram, the Bull, The Heavenly Twins,
And next the Crab the Lion shines,
The Virgin and the Scales;
The Scorpion, Archer, and Sea Goat,
The Man that holds the watering-pot,
And Fish with glittering scales. "
AQUARIUS
Aquarius is the water bearer to the gods on Olympus. His name is Ganymede, and among the young
shepherds he was favored by Zeus. He was given the food of the gods, ambrosia, and Zeus sent down
his pet eagle (Aquila which is also in the sky) to bring Ganymede to Olympus. Once, when the Earth
was lacking in water, Ganymede pleaded with Zeus to give water to humans. Zeus agreed, and so
Ganymede sent water down to Earth in the form of rain. Ganymede is the name of one of Jupiters
moons. Aquarius is difficult to make out but it's in our October skies just to the West of Pisces.
ARIES
Is the pet ram of Zeus and as such he sported a pelt of golden fleece. (Jason and his Argonauts would
set off in search of this fleece.) Aries gained his place in the heavens by rescuing two children from
imminent death. Aries is traditionally the first constellation of the Zodiac. We call the place he occupies
the First Point of Aries.
CANCER
While Hercules was attacking the Hydra, a giant crab came to the Hydra’s defense and began attacking
Hercules!. Hercules had to smash the crab and kill it before he could focus on the Hydra. This crab was
placed in the sky as Cancer and is visible overhead in front of Leo in our April skies.
CAPRICORNUS
Perhaps the strangest of any constellation, Capricornus was sorted the head and front legs of a goat,
while the rest of its body was fish. According to some sources he is the son of Amalthea, the goat who
nursed the Greek god Zeus (Jupiter) while he was an infant and hiding from his father, Cronus (Saturn).
One of Jupiters moons is named for Almathea. Capricornus is a challenging sight. It's up there in
September, down low along the Ecliptic. Uranus and Neptune are here too.
GEMINI
The Dioscuri, twin half brothers Castor and Pollux Polydeuces. They were hatched from eggs, along
with their twin sisters Clytemnestra, and Helen of Troy. While they shared a mother, Pollux was the son
of Zeus, and therefore immortal. Castor was the son of their mother’s husband, and was mortal. They
were known as great heroes, sailing on the Argo with Jason to retrieve the Golden Fleece, and,
rescuing a young Helen from Theseus (long before the Trojan War.) Castor was eventually killed in a
cattle raid, and Pollux volunteered to give up half his immortality to bring Castor back. To allow them to
be together, the pair spends every other day on Mt. Olympus, or in the Underworld. Gemini may be
observed overhead in February between Cancer and Taurus.
LEO
Leo is the lion to both ancient Greek culture and their neighbors in Babylon. The Greeks identified Leo
with the Nemean Lion, victim of Hercules’ first labor. After Hercules killed the lion he continued to wear
its fur on his back. Leo is visible during the Summer months. He reminds me of the Sphinx and is
visible overhead in April. When we look towards the space the Leo occupies we are actually looking out
a window of our galaxy, beyond our galaxy to other far off island universes of galaxies.
LIBRA
The only one of the Zodiac constellations that is not human or animal! Libra depicts a set of scales. It
was the Babylonianswho first placed a set of scales in the sky, but the Greeks saw this formation as the
claws of the nearby Scorpius. Later,to the Romans, Libra came to be a symbol of Julius Caesar, his
fairness and justness. Libra is visible in the Summer.
PISCES
Pisces are the two fishes that are tied together by the tail. There seems to be no mythological story
behind them, although different cultures related the constellation to Aphrodite, or her counterparts. The
fish are visible in the Winter months however you'll need a dark sky to make them out.
SAGITTARIUS
Sagittarius is one of two constellations that depicts a centaur, half man half horse creatures in Greek
mythology. (Centaurus in the southern hemisphere is the other.) He is a great archer, and his arrow
appears to be aimed at the heart of Scorpius (the star Antares). The brightest stars in Sagittarius form
the shape of a teapot, which is more familiar than the constellation as a whole. Sagittarius marks the
direction of the center of our own Milky Way galaxy. This is a Summer constellation.
SCORPIUS
Among the many accounts of the death of Orion the hunter, most involve Scorpius. After Orion’s death
from the scorpion’s sting they were both made constellations. They are, however, far from one another
in the sky. Orion has always just set when Scorpius rises. In the islands of Polynesia they saw not a
scorpion, but a fishing hook in the distinctive "J" shaped constellation. To them this set of stars forms
the hook of Maui, who brought many Pacific islands to the surface with his hook.
TAURUS
For many ancient cultures the bull was an important, and many times sacred, animal. So it is no
surprise that he appears in the sky. His eye glows a reddish hue and is called Aldebaran in Arabic
meaning "the follower" The stars that form the nose of the bull are known as the Hyades, daughters of
Atlas, who carries the world on his shoulders. Their half sisters, the Pleiades, now ride on Taurus’ back.
The bull himself stands between the girls and Orion to protect them. Taurus is visible overhead in
January. His horns not far from Orion's shield.
Go forth at night,
And talk with Aldebaran where he flames
In the cold forehead of the wintry sky.
--- Mrs. Sigourney's " The Stars."
VIRGO
According the Hesiod, whose writings supply a large part of what we now know of Greek mythology,
Virgo is a symbol of the Greek goddess Dike, a personification of Justice vs. might/violence. Dike is
briefly mentioned in Hesiod's Theogony which is a poem that describes the birth of the goddesses. In
the Theogony, Dike - or Justice - is identified as the daughter of Zeus and Themis. Dike was one of the
Horae, children of Zeus who were in charge of the seasons, and she was responsible for summer.
Dike's Roman counterpart was named Iustitia. Virgo is visible in our May skies and is a challenge to see.
Find below some books on the Constellations.. Richard Allen's book is a classic !
Calusa Night Sky Tours !
239-851-STAR
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